The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) has announced a new supply agreement with Singapore-based bunker supplier Golden Island Pte Ltd to provide ISCC-certified green methanol for bunkering operations in Singapore. This marks a significant expansion of Towngas’s green methanol network across Asia. The green methanol will be transported by Golden Island’s new Singapore-flagged bunker tanker, Golden Antares, which is set to depart a Chinese shipyard by late April and commence bunkering trials in July 2025.
Golden Antares, equipped with mass flowmetres and a 6,500-tonne methanol capacity, will adhere to Singapore’s Technical Reference 129 on Methanol Bunkering, ensuring safe and efficient use of methanol as a marine fuel. Sham Man-fai, Chief Operating Officer – Green Fuels & Chemicals of Towngas, expressed enthusiasm about the growing interest in their green methanol, stating, “Supplying green methanol to customers like Golden Island aligns perfectly with our commitment to developing low-carbon solutions that support the shipping industry’s decarbonisation journey.”
Tomohiro Yamano, General Manager of the Marine Fuel Department at Golden Island, highlighted the environmental benefits, noting that the green methanol offers carbon intensity savings of more than 75% compared to conventional fuels. Towngas’s production plant in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, currently produces 100,000 tonnes of green methanol annually, with plans to increase to 150,000 tonnes by the end of 2025.
Towngas is also collaborating with Foran Energy Group to establish multiple green methanol production bases across China, aiming for a combined annual capacity of 1 million tonnes by 2028. This strategic expansion supports the maritime sector’s transition towards carbon neutrality.
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